What did all of these titles have in common? Nerdiness? Perhaps. Computer stuff? Most certainly! But the most striking aspect of each of these books was that they had *never been checked out* before.

I like being able to be the first person to read a book. The crackle of the spine and the new book smell. But, they had never been checked out. They had sat there waiting for someone like me for years to check them out. $200+ worth of books and processing unused.

The library was full of students. Almost none of them were looking at a book. They were all plugged into the learning commons and sporting smart phones and laptops and netbooks. They were checking their Facebook pages and Blackboard and texting and emailing and engaging in all sorts of social media. The stacks might have just been cubicle walls encircling their virtual activities in the meat space.

Were books being marketed to students? You could easily find a ref librarian to help you and check your materials. Stacks were labeled well and the collections were adequate, but the catalog was not prominent. Maybe books were not being marketed to students.

There were many digital signs in strategic places around the library welcoming students back. They all could have also been showing book covers of latest editions with call numbers to drive students to the materials. The catalog could have been marketing books to the students.

There are so many opportunities to market books in libraries. Use your digital sign systems. Use your catalogs. Use your web sites. Use your words. Use your nerds!

There’s a book for that. Hopefully, books will still be in demand by future learners.